1. Field
The present disclosure relates to electronic devices with built-in heat-dissipating units having a heat-dissipating component furnished with a plurality of heat-exchanging fins.
2. Description of the Related Art
In heat-dissipating units of this sort, built into notebook computers and the like, heat from electronic components (heat-emitting components), such as central processing units (CPUs), which emit heat during operation, is transferred through a heat pipe or the like to a heat-dissipating component, heat exchange with air (cooling air) supplied from a fan is made to occur, and the heated air is released to the exterior of the casing of the notebook computer or the like, thereby effectively cooling the heat-emitting components.
In a conventional heat-dissipating unit of this sort, it is effective to increase the surface area of the fins in order to enhance the heat-dissipating effect, and a plurality of fins are arrayed in a narrow, limited space at a narrow spacing. However, when the spacing at which the plurality of fins are arrayed is narrow, fine dust contained in the air (cooling air) supplied from the fan is likely to adhere to, particularly, the surface of the heat-dissipating component (that is, the inflow surface) on the side that opposes the fan (hereinafter, referred to as the inflow side since it is where air (cooling air) flows in). Once dust adheres to the heat-dissipating component, the dust is likely to accumulate rapidly, and the accumulated dust covers the entire surface of the heat-dissipating component on the inflow side. As a result, it is difficult to supply cooling air from the fan into the gaps between adjacent fins, and consequently there is significant deterioration in the heat-dissipating effect of the heat-dissipating unit.
To address this issue, as described below, a heat-dissipating unit having a mechanism for removing dust clinging to the heat-dissipating component has been suggested to date, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-306001.
Referring to FIG. 8, a heat-dissipating unit suggested in the aforementioned Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-306001 includes: a heat-dissipating component 50 having a plurality of flow paths 51 formed therein, and having a plurality of heat-exchanging fins 52; a brush 53, disposed on the inflow side of the heat-dissipating component 50, which acts as a cleaning component for removing dust on the heat-dissipating component 50 by being inserted into the flow paths 51; a brush rotation pivot 55 and a brush driving pivot 56 for supporting the brush 53 such that the brush 53 is rotatably mounted in an exterior case 54; and a brush driving section 57, such as, for example, a motor, capable of driving the brush 53.